□ DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) announced that Professors Byeongmoon Lee from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Chanyeon Kim from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering were chosen for the ‘Samsung Future Technology Development Program’ in the second half of 2025. They will begin their research in December.
□ The Samsung Future Technology Development Program, initiated by Samsung Electronics in 2013 with an investment of KRW 1.5 trillion, supports research in basic science, materials technology, ICT, and convergence. For the second half of 2025, 17 research teams from DGIST, KAIST, UNIST, and Seoul National University were chosen, focusing on ‘Technology’.
□ Professor Byeongmoon Lee and Professor Jinhyun So’s research team from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will study the development of an ultra-high-speed, high-precision skin-integrated gesture recognition interface designed for hyper-immersive extended reality environments.
□ The research team will secure 1.6 billion won in funding over the next four years. Their goal is to develop a forearm-worn device that can accurately recognize hand and arm movements in real-time, even outside camera range, along with a high-performance, customizable AI algorithm. This approach aims to address the limited practicality and recognition scope of current wearable gesture technologies, paving the way for a next-generation human-computer interface suitable for long-term use.
□ Professor Chanyeon Kim will research the ‘Synthesis of a Carbon-Neutral, CO₂-HF-Based HFE Refrigerant,' funded with KRW 1 billion over four years. Since about 40% of the AI industry's electricity is used for cooling, HFE (Hydrofluoroether) is gaining interest as an eco-friendly, next-generation refrigerant.
□ However, HFE is currently produced solely from fossil fuels and depends entirely on imports. Professor Chanyeon Kim's goal is to develop a method to synthesize HFE using carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas, and hydrogen fluoride (HF) wastewater from the semiconductor manufacturing process. This initiative aims to establish a sustainable approach that supports both carbon neutrality and technological independence in creating eco-friendly refrigerants.
□ Professor Byeongmoon Lee stated, "Our research seeks to address the drawbacks of current wearable gesture-recognition devices, which are often limited in practicality and functionality. We expect this to represent a significant breakthrough in human-computer interaction by creating a device suitable for long-term use in immersive XR environments, equipped with sensors and AI that can accurately recognize detailed hand poses without relying on a camera."
□ Professor Chanyeon Kim stated, "The growth of the AI industry and the achievement of carbon neutrality are no longer future challenges, but realities we face today. This research acts as a starting point for addressing the rising energy consumption and carbon emissions linked to the expansion of AI. We expect this work to help localize eco-friendly refrigerant technology and foster a sustainable industrial structure."
□ DGIST plans to enhance research support and industry-academia collaboration to ensure that innovative and challenging research can continue in key future fields like ICT, energy, and bio.
